I know “Budget Happy” looks like a girly book, and in some ways, it is because it features the financial journey of a mum taking control of her finances. Expect batch cooking and shopping lists and disciplined spending among the tips she will dispense in her book.

Lisa Woodley wrote this book after her TikTok account on the merits of cash stuffing went viral. She advocates the use of cash to have a firmer grasp of where your money is going. Honestly, her methods aren’t applicable in Singapore because we get cashbacks, flight miles, and other incentives when we embrace cashless payments methods. Still, it was an illuminating eye-opener when I read how she had taken baby steps to dissociate herself from the repercussions of her traumatic childhood and level up her financial literacy. It seems that she has had the headspace to dive into researching the most financially savvy to do particular things. Hence, I would have preferred it if she could have dwelled on how she had managed to carve out the presence of mind to get her finances in order amidst a hectic lifestyle. I would probably have derived more inspiration that way because I sometimes find my life overwhelming and suffocating. As the great Singlish phrase goes, Where got time?!

She’s British, so I appreciated her humour. Stuff like ‘your cooker has decided to bake its final cake’ and ‘energy bills are a large can of angry worms.’ Love the way she imbued various cliches with her unique spin. Brought a chuckle to my face more than once.